Book Fortythree: Kidnapped

Kidnapped, Robert Louis Stevenson



Sometimes I think there might be 12-year-old boy inside me (and no, not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter.) What I mean is, this kind of story feels totally made for me: adventure, sword fights, pursuit, the high seas, rebel uprisings. Just like in his other, only slightly better, book, Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson gives us a young hero who is suddenly thrust into some kind of marvelous adventure. This time, David Balfour is our protagonist, and after he is orphaned his miserly uncle sells him off to an unscrupulous sea captain to be a slave. But the real story starts when he meets Jacobite rebel Alan Breck and they take off across the Scottish moors running for their lives. Yes, I just said Jacobite. Not only is this a great story, but it's also a history lesson!

In essence this is a story about friendship and being true not just to yourself and your cause, but to those you love. So it's really a rough-and-tumble adventure with a heart of gold. Also, the intro to the Puffin Classics edition is written by my literary boyfriend, Alexander McCall Smith. Sadly, it's a bit of a letdown (apparently he thinks all kids are complete morons), but I'll give him a pass on this one. He still has my heart for loving Robert Louis Stevenson and wanting kids to love him just as much as he does.